For those of you who hammered me for

[cboy4]

criticizing Lou Dobbs yesterday about his ridiculous obsession with Mexicans, the border, calling them "illegal aliens," etc., when I think he could be nicer calling them "illegal immigrants" --------

( http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x31606 ),

I wish to point out something I was pleased to hear him say this morning on The View (cuz I'm fair and balanced ;) and feel I should give credit where credit is due!!

Concerning raising the minimum wage:

"It is absolutely heinous and reprehensible that Congress and both parties frankly are responsible, but primarily the Republican Party chose not to raise the minimum wage....this nonsense that the minimum wage somehow will make it impossible for small business to function, to make profits and create jobs is absurd."

"...28 states and the District of Columbia have already raised the minimum wages above the federal level. And guess what? Studies between 1997 and 2004 show that those states that have raised the minimum wage are actually prospering!"

"...the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is conducting a propaganda campaign..." :applause: :bounce"

And he's in favor of universal health care!

"There is no excuse for this country not to provide health care for all...how can we reasonably deny that system and great care to anyone?" :applause: :bounce:

SEE LOU....YOU CAN CONCENTRATE ON OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES!!

COME ON! Good for you....now carry this over to your show and I can absolutely watch again because you make a lot of sense about other problems.

Just please stop all of this "illegal alien" bullshit, which seemingly takes up 75% of his program!

[Captain Hilts]

1. Immigrants, especially illegal are suppressing wages in construction, etc.

It's not my issue, but it is VERY important to people who work for an hourly wage and can't surf DU all day.

[BOSSHOG]

3. I agree that wages are being suppressed

(big problem in New Orleans and the gulf coast now) but are immigrants suppressing wages with their greed or are employers doing the suppressing with their greed? If there were no jobs to be had, would they be here?

[cboy4]

6. Lou consistently makes it out to be the illegal immigrant, who is

desperate to feed his/her families' fault.

It is a life threatening decision to walk from the border to Tucson, since so may people run out of water and die during that trek.

It's illegal alien this and illegal alien that.......yea, what about the greed of the employers?

But I went over this in the thread yesterday.

[Captain Hilts]

7. GOOD question. Employers are using the larger pool to suppress wages.

In New England, where for years labor was in shorter supply, they couldn't get away with that crap. Now that Danbury's become a hub for illegal workers, it's starting to happen.

Puts to waste the old stereotype about Mexicans being lazy, doesn't it. They work hard!

But it's got to be tough if you're in construction.

[Prophet 451]

11. Employers

The crap about low wages leading to workers hired aside, business can be summed up thus: Businesses will employ the minimum number of people they can for the work they need to do, paying the lowest wages they can get away with. If said "lowest wages" means fifty cents a week, they will always go that route.

[cboy4]

4. It's not even one of the top 5 most important issues facing Americans

today, therefore he should not dwell on the border problem so disproportionately during a one hour show.

I understand it's "VERY" important to some, but not 75% of the whole show, five days a week important.

He's over the top....but I went over all of this in a thread yesterday.

[bahrbearian]

5. "They are just doing the jobs Americans won't do"

:sarcasm:

[cboy4]

8. YUP! Everyone I know is completely jealous of "them

Mexicans" crawling around on their hands and knees picking strawberries for 5 dollars an hour in the 110 degree California heat.

And what a dream job it would be cleaning toilets in office buildings and hotels! Sign me up!! :eyes:

[Captain Hilts]

12. They're a lot more skilled than that. They often do highly-skilled work.

But that doesn't fit your stereotype.

[cboy4]

16. It's not necessarily a stereotype if it's true. I live in California and

I see all of this.

Of course they can do more highly skilled work, but they're desperately taking the jobs employers are low balling because there are so many available.

And even the shitty money they earn in the U.S. is much better than what they can take home in Mexico.

[bahrbearian]

18. When they compete with me for construction Jobs I get a little upset.

And Yes I have Picked Strawberrys ,apples ,pears,,bucked hay, gutted fish ,washed dishes and cleaned toilets, It must be nice to be so skilled a worker that you don't have to compete.

[BOSSHOG]

2. When lou starts urging young republicans

to pick vegetables and clean motel rooms, I'll know the "problem" has been solved.

[saltpoint]

9. Hi, cboy4. I missed the dust-up you reference, but want to put in

a word about Lou Dobbs anyway.

I don't like him much.

Never did.

My guess is that he's a smart guy, but a Republican guy, and we have way too many Republicans running around as it is, especially in the media, and I make a point to tune Lou out and listen to Jim Lehrer instead.

Just my 2 cents' worth.

[cboy4]

10. He likes to brag that he's a registered independent but

*cough, cough* I for one think he does that so he can boast he's allegedly impartial as a journalist.

Your two cents is worth way more than two cents to me, because you're one of the smartest people I know at DU. ;)

Good to hear from you OC! :hi:

[saltpoint]

13. Hey cboy4, those are kind words, and I thank you for them,

but I've got to say I'm following your argument on Dobbs here and feel it's surgically right-on and solid.

I feel that Lou is certainly smarter than Republicans like Imhofe of Oklahoma and more adult than pudding-heads like Kay Baily Hutchison, but on the other hand, Lou wants that wall built to the sky, and it's a doomed commitment. That wall is coming down a lot faster than Lou Dobbs thinks it is.

It's a disgrace, really. The globe's lone superpower building a fence/wall to keep people out, people who have the audacity to risk their lives to better the futures of their children.

The Latino vote swung very noticeably toward the Democrats in 2006, not least because of the nasty talk about "illegals" many Tancredo-types were braying about. I'm surprised Lou is obsessing on this issue when it has failed many Republicans in the past and isn't looking real good for Republicans -- even "independent" Republicans -- for the immediate future.

You hang in there, good person.

[AndyA]

14. The only way to fix the immigration problem is to deal with the employers who are

taking advantage of the situation as a cheap source of labor.

And we must streamline the immigration process, to make it easier, more affordable, and quicker for people to enter the country legally.

I still have a problem with people who sneak in illegally, because it's wrong. And just because the process is lengthy, expensive, or whatever is not an excuse for them to go ahead and break the law anyway. Those here legally must use their voices and their votes in unity to bring about change so that others can become citizens, and do so in a more expeditious manner.

But to overlook the employers is a big mistake. They are taking advantage of these people just because they know they can. And that's wrong.

[Wiley50]

15. I Installed Carpet For 30 Years earning, pretty much The Same Per Square Yard

when I stopped as when I started.

Now I am disabled from it and had no insurance or Workman's Comp
to fall back on. I now live on $603/mo SSI

WHY?

Every time I asked a carpet store owner for a raise they replied,

"If You don't like the money, I can get a Mexican to do the job"

[partylessinOhio]

19. I'm truly sorry and don't feel you were treated fairly on your job and by SSI.

We need to take better care of our workers and provide for them when they are injured or become ill.

I need carpet now but cannot afford it as I became too ill to work in 1997. But I can tell you there is nothing more valuable when you can afford carpet than a good carpet layer that knows his trade.

God bless you fellow American disabled worker.

[Double T]

17. How about if 'WE' just call THEM 'ILLEGALS'.............

then there will be NO gender, ethnic, race, religious, political or any other bias; it is certainly direct and to the point.